Chapter 5
Soraya.
Waking with her heart in her throat, Soraya tried to reorient herself.
Blinking away the haze, she peered into the dark and was confused when she couldn’t recognize anything in her room.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Something shifted behind her, and her body tensed before memories flooded back: the bar, colorful drinks, honey tea, and jade.
Tariq.
Her cheeks flushed when she remembered Tariq. The complete stranger she had lain down in bed with and—
Heart pounding, she peered over her shoulder at the massive form lying beside her. As her head moved, she felt her thick hair tickle against her back and realized it had been braided into a single, long plait down her spine.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Half-sleeping memories of Tariq braiding her hair surfaced in her mind. His long, thick fingers glided through her hair in a rhythmic, soothing pattern until she fell asleep.
Now, she watched as his chest rose and fell with even breaths; he was fast asleep himself with an arm thrown over his head.
But he wasn’t what had woken her.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Leaning up, Soraya tried to see through the gossamer curtain. It was silent, except for the constant flow of splashing water tinkling into the room from beyond the lattice windows. And the ticking clock on the mantle.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Her heart began to beat faster as her instincts strained against her skin, urging her to move. Carefully, she peeled the silken sheets away from herself and glided off the bed. She winced as she stood, her lower region thoroughly sore and aching from her earlier activities.
A cool breeze swept over her body, making her both shiver and realize she was completely naked.
Searching for her dress, she spotted a robe hanging on a hook beside the bed. Pulling it on, she fastened the sash but paused, the silk dangling from her fingertips.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Energy crackled through the room. Soraya’s eyes darted to Tariq—he hadn’t moved an inch. The air thickened with the smell of earth, moss, and orchids. Then, a green glow crept into the room.
It was coming from outside the windows.
She stepped cautiously away from the bed with the sleeping Tariq and hesitantly parted the gossamer fabric to peek out.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The room was exactly the same, except for the eerie green light seeping through the latticework. It washed everything in its neon glow, making the dark shadows crouch behind the furniture.
Soraya turned fully toward the windows, trying to understand where the light was coming from, when she noticed something strange—a door.
A door in the window.
It hadn’t been there before.
Making her way to the lattice door on soft feet, she reached out to grab the handle, her silk sleeve drooping from her wrist.
Just as her fingertips were about to touch the door handle, a fierce jolt of nerves, sharper than anything she’d ever felt, shot through her body, halting her in place.
Was it a warning? It didn’t necessarily feel like one.
Tick.
After a second’s worth of hesitation, she gripped the handle tightly.
Tick.
She pulled the door open.
Tick—
The last tick echoed out, and the clock fell silent, frozen in time. A deep silence settled over the room…but Soraya had just stepped out the door to notice.
She wasn’t sure what she expected to find beyond the door.
Brushing aside some hanging vines, she came face to face with the source of the water—a gigantic jade fountain.
Not just a big fountain. It was a mammoth-sized structure.
From her perspective, it appeared to be as tall as the buildings in downtown.
She couldn’t even see the top from where she stood under the open alcove.
Walking slowly across the balcony she found herself on—she took in her surroundings with shocked wonder.
The jade material from the room continued seamlessly outside onto the balcony—it was everywhere.
Massive pillars of jade adorned either side, extending beyond the railing and reaching twenty feet above, supporting a curved ceiling.
Passing by a comfortable-looking seating area, she shivered when she stepped off the woven rug onto the cool floor. By the time she reached the railing, she realized she was gazing out into a spacious, oval…courtyard? If she could call it that.
It felt like she was staring out onto a park reserve, much like Central Park, but instead of skyscrapers surrounding the greenery, it was just the one continuous jade structure.
Entirely wrapped around the open courtyard were balconies and pillars identical to the ones she stood on.
The building she stood in had to be a behemoth—large enough to contain not just the fountain, but the entire park surrounding it.
It reminded her of the Roman Colosseum—if colossal giants had built it.
The fountain, about the size of an entire city block, sat dead center, surrounded by greenery and wooden structures. It wasn’t until she stepped closer to the railing that she realized the green she’d been seeing was the tops of slender trees growing on the level below where she stood.
Looking up and past the fountain, she noticed even more balconies above her level. In the back of Soraya’s mind, she knew it was not humanly feasible for this place to exist.
Then her eyes darted further up to the open night sky above it all—just pure night sky. At least, that was what it looked like at first glance.
Her eyes widened.
The full moon was out. But…so was the sun.
She rubbed her eyes and looked skyward again. The sky was still dark, with stars twinkling brightly as far as she could see, and streaks of shooting stars arcing across in brilliant flashes.
But the sun was out.
Yet…it didn’t brighten the sky. Instead, it shone in place, a river of pure light pouring down from it in a single beam, directly focused on the fountain—like a flashlight—just one ray.
The light hit the fountain perfectly, illuminating it from within and turning it into a brilliant green color. The entire courtyard was bathed in the vibrant neon glow, casting a green tint over her, making her skin shimmer as if she were covered in pixie dust.
Soraya.
Startled out of her stupor, Soraya jerked her head to the left at the sound of her name. A cool breeze caressed her face. Her eyes sharpened as she peered into the gloom.
Her eyes narrowed, focusing on the shadows behind the pillar at the balcony’s edge. There, she noticed a gate.
She walked over to it and peered past its iron bars.
Beyond them, a darkened staircase descended into the gloom.
She considered turning back around, slipping off her robe, and crawling back into bed with the muscular, sex god.
But…something was calling to her, drawing her out… and she had to know what it was.
Opening the gate, she stepped out onto the rectangular platform. Looking down the stairs, she realized she couldn’t see anything beyond the last step.
Something in her chest tugged her forward, and before she realized what she was doing, she began to descend—one step at a time.
When she reached the bottom, she found herself slightly out of breath; the descent had been much longer than it looked.
Casting a glance around, she felt small standing in the mighty hall of this wondrous place. She looked to her right, then left, noting the patchwork of green light washing up the walls between the shadows of the pillars. Not a soul to be seen.
An eerie feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, but it didn’t stop her from heading in the direction to her right.
A short distance away, she spotted a giant opening that no doubt led to the outside of this structure and away from the fountain.
Peering around the corner, she saw a long, a very long, and empty hallway.
Moving cautiously, she stopped when she reached the center of the opening and looked ahead. The hall was dark, but beyond it, she glimpsed the tops of trees and an open black sky, with falling stars sparkling in the distance.
It wasn’t the direction she wanted to head in. Ripping her eyes away from the sight, she continued to walk to the right.
Something—instinct perhaps—told her to keep very quiet. The sound of the fountain masked the soft patter of her bare feet against the cold floor. She felt like a mouse creeping through the house of a giant, her heart pounding steadily as if she might be caught sneaking around at any moment.
It wasn’t long before she came upon a smaller hallway. Moonlight poured through it, revealing a blue night sky at the far, far end. She tiptoed down the hallway for what felt like forever until she finally emerged on the other side.
Directly in front of her, a bare staircase led down into what looked like a forest…no…a jungle. The dense jungle sloped downward to the left, where she glimpsed dozens of glowing lights flickering in the darkness at its base.
But once again, instinct told her not to look at the city below.
Not wanting to tempt fate, she focused her gaze directly in front of her as she eased her way down the set of stairs until her feet hit the soft, mossy grass. Without a trace of fear, she made her way to the treeline and into the jungle.
Stepping over and around long, twisting roots, Soraya headed deeper into the trees, uncertain where this path would lead.
And with every step, the jungle seemed to come alive in response to her presence.
Glowing plants bloomed and spread their petals as she passed, casting a soft light that helped to illuminate her way.
What she assumed were fireflies danced between the trees, their flickering lights growing by the number the further she explored, as if they were guiding her through the thick foliage.